Too much good happening
I have so many things to be grateful for in my life recently. Not particularly to me personally, but proud moments and benchmarks in my family circle.
First and foremost my number four child, Kilani, graduating from Jordan High School and closing a chapter in her life and opening a whole new can of worry worms for me!!
One new addition to my job duties is being part of the Fox 13 Dream Team, where we partner with Mountain America Credit Union and my girl Christalina to grant wishes for some deserving people according to random nominations sent in.
I was able to rub shoulders with some of the best people, salt of the earth kind of people, in Pamela Atkinson and Alex Boye as we celebrated refugees. I even got to hang out with Jay Owenhouse and his family and tigers.
Family Time
My greatest fear is to not be able to spend time with my family. As busy as I am with work, coaching and church: spending time with my loved ones is equally important so I try to take every advantage possible to do it, even if it’s just for two hours.
Health & Fitness
After a short hiatus from the gym due to injury, I was so elated to be able to return to Vasa and get back in the track to #losingforlife. Being back at the gym has helped me have a better mental health. My energy continues to operate at a high level, and I’ve also been able to handle the work load at home and my job and any extra-curricular activities.
It is busy months like this that remind me of how far I have come…not without help from family and friends, BMI Utah, Salt Lake Regional Hospital, Vasa, Fox 13 News and you my Facebook family.
My greatest gratitude is for my partner in my journey through this and life, my wife Jennifer, who also shares her story with you:
Life
Life continues to be busy, but good. My family is in the midst of planning my oldest daughter’s wedding, and it is crunch time. We have about five weeks left until the big day, and I am starting to look for that perfect dress that will make me feel pretty but not take away from the bride, lol. My daughter’s dress is gorgeous, and she will have eyes turning all day long.
Other than trying to find the perfect dress, I am trying to set some good short-term weight loss goals for the next couple of weeks leading up to the big day. My goal is to keep staying on track with my eating and make sure that I am working out.
I have mentioned in past blogs that my sweet tooth has come back strong, and that is no lie. I am constantly having to remind myself daily why I had this surgery done in the first place. I have a picture inside the back of my clear phone case that reminds me of the size I was before my surgery, and whenever I look at that picture I can recall how I felt about myself, how my clothes fit me or didn’t fit me, how hard it was to move around, and how bad my knees hurt after standing for a short period of time.
The list could go on, but I am sure you can imagine what I mean. That picture and many more are my driving force to not eat a cupcake but pick up a piece of fruit instead. For those of you that have had this surgery, I know that you can relate. Food is not more important than having the best quality of life I can have.
Family Time
If you know me at all than you know that I love, love, love my family: They are my whole life. My kids are my heart and my reason for breathing, and the best job that I could have ever asked for. We are getting small in numbers, which is making me sad and not quite sure what to think.
My youngest daughter just graduated from high school and will be leaving the nest soon, which will leave only one child at home, my son. Poor thing! He will be going through all four years of high school living at home with his old parents.
I am finding that as my children leave the house, get married or go on LDS missions that it gets harder and harder to get everyone together at the same time, but we do our best. This month we had a couple of chances to go to the movies together and to go bowling. We celebrated my daughter’s bridal shower and it was a huge success thanks to the help of my mom and sisters-in-law. Jordyn was really surprised at how lovely everything looked and how many people came to celebrate her.
This weekend we will be headed up to Snowbird for a couple of days to swim and do some activities up there. Since the surgery I am wanting to do more and more things outside, like hiking. I want to explore beautiful Utah after living here for over 18 years, and now my goal is to convince my family to join me.
Next Chapter
I graduated from the University of Utah back in 2014 with my BA in Psychology, and since then I have been doing different jobs including working for Delta Airlines, which allowed my family to do some traveling.
After recently returning to a job in my field of study, I have realized that I want to and need to return to school to get my Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy. My goal is to be a private therapist and to one day have my own practice. I have a passion for working with teenagers and families.
This is an overwhelming thought in my mind right now because I do really enjoy being in school despite what it costs to go to school. But I do know that it is my calling and if I don’t follow it I will regret it. With that, I will be applying for grad school in December of this year to begin my studies In August of 2019.
My life is in a different place now because of the surgery, my energy level has improved and continues to do so, and my outlook on life is brighter. Eight months ago I don’t know that I would have decided to go back to school, but I know now that it is a must.
Thanks to everyone for the ongoing support! Click here to follow our Losing for Life journey.
